Given that today is the two year anniversary of Bobby Charles' passing, it's only proper that we should take a moment to listen to a slice of the musical legacy he left behind to those who knew him and the southern "swamp pop" style he helped to define. The Louisiana-born songwriter grew up on a steady diet of Cajun music, Hank Williams country, and Fats Domino R&B, so it's not surprising that his style fuses these elements into a uniquely relaxed hybridization of the three. Despite playing with The Band at The Last Waltz and penning hits such as "See You Later Alligator," and, "I Don't Know Why (But I Do)" --see Forest Gump soundtrack circa 1994) -- Charles remained relatively unknown to the world of popular music throughout his life. Many thanks to Rhino Records for recently reissuing Bobby Charles' self-titled record from 1972. He recorded the album after relocating to Woodstock, New York in the early 70's. Take a moment to honor Charles (or meet his work for the first time, as I did) by listening to, "Small Town Talk." It's a wonderful blend of Charles' easy-going, rhythmic style, matter-of-fact, soulful vocal work, and brilliantly straight-forward lyrics:
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